Sylvia From Performance Solar

I called Performance Solar today and talked to Sylvia, because the solar heating is leaking on my roof.

I said to Sylvia, "Hi, I have a leak with my solar heating."

She looked up my account and then informed me that I had a past due balance on my account.

The last time we had ever dealt with this company was well over a year ago. We had had a problem with the installation of our unit. This was the problem: as soon as we turned it on the water started pouring off of the leak. Rinar called to have them fix it so that it would work for the first time. They came and fixed it and the promptly charged us $120. Rinar called and argued the point with Sylvia that we should obviously not be charged for the repair since it never worked in the first place. After much haggling and reluctance, they waived the fee. Then it wouldn't work again and they came out to look at it again and finally the solar heating was working. This was the last time we interacted with this company (December 2006).

So these things went through my mind when Sylvia told me that we owed them money. I got really ticked off. So I replied in an elevated (yet not yelling voice), "I called to say I have a leak and you tell me I owe you money."

Sylvia countered with, "Well, if you are going to be rude to me, I won't help you." (Grant it, I don't think that is exactly what she said, but she did accuse me of being rude. Then as she continued to look at our account, she conceded that they had waived the fee.

I don't remember all of the particulars that followed, but she continued to accuse me of being rude. I asked if I could please speak to somebody else. She told me no. I asked her if she was the only person that worked at the company. She emphatically told me that she was the only person at the company. I accused her of trying to be my mother. Then she told me that my mother obviously did not teach me any manners. I probably muttered something like, "This is unbelievable, you are supposed to be helping me!" And she countered me with, "When you can speak nicely to me and not be rude, then I will help you. I think you should call me back later when you can not be rude to me."

She also accused my husband of being rude. My husband! We are talking about Rinar, who has to be the nicest person on the planet. I don't think you could find anyone AT ALL that he works with or goes to church with or is a neighbor with who could say anything bad about him at all. This is the guy who is a compulsive waver and always smiles and never says anything mean about anyboday, anytime, not even in private when it is just me and him. You can imagine that this really got me angry.

I never, ever called her a name, besides accusing her of trying to be my mother. That is the only "mean" thing I said to her. Then she proceeded to hang up on me without resolving the call. I mean, she said goodbye, and then click!

So to sum it up, I needed my solar heating fixed, she accused us of having an unpaid balance (for which they had never sent us any kind of bill whatsoever!), even though she conceded that we did not have an unpaid balance, I got ticked off at the accusation, she condescendingly told me I was rude, did not help me, insulted me, and then hung up on me.

I was so upset that I was shaking, I cried, I called my husband. Raef cried because I was upset and Zach went and got me some dandelion flowers for my hair and gave me a big hug.

The Moral to the Story: I cannot recommend this company to anyone.

But if you ever want to have a lovely conversation with a sweet lady named Sylvia, from Performance Solar...you go right ahead.